Our friends at Verity (PCOS UK) and Cardiff University led a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership to identify the Top 10 PCOS Research Priorities, and FTWW was delighted to be a member organisation of the steering group. The Top 10 have now been announced.
A new report has found that menopause care is still failing to meet the needs of some of the most marginalised in society. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on menopause gathered crucial evidence highlighting the barriers experienced by women and people from marginalised communities – and what needs to change so that everyone has access to support when they need it.
The Health Collective is an initiative led by Wellbeing of Women, made up of healthcare professionals and grassroots organisations working in the women’s health space, with the aim to improve healthcare for marginalised women and people registered female at birth. FTWW’s Dee was delighted to attend this year’s annual meeting in London on 12th November.
FTWW’s Debbie and Isabel were pleased to be able to present to the All-Wales Clinical Supervisors for Midwives Network on 30th October, on the need for maternity services and care to understand and accommodate the needs of those who are living with long-term health conditions, are disabled, or neurodivergent.
We were thrilled to be invited to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) Wales Annual Conference with around 100 obstetricians and gynaecologists across Wales on 7th November, to present alongside Cardiff University’s Dr Robyn Jackowich and Rachel Joseph on projects and activities relevant to delivery of gynaecology services in Wales.
October is menopause awareness month and – as one of FTWW’s key campaign areas – we have been very busy attending and hosting events and shining a spotlight on life with menopause. We were delighted to spend World Menopause Day with our friends from Cysters at their fantastic ‘Marginalised and Menopausal’ event in Cardiff. We also hosted a webinar for FTWW members, ‘Managing Menopause Symptoms with CBT’, led by FTWW Volunteer Menopause Champion and Principal Clinical Psychologist, Dr Dawn Owen DClinPsy. Fellow FTWW Volunteer Menopause Champion, Lisa Nicholls, was also interviewed by BBC Radio Wales’ Jason Mohammed…
Researchers at Cardiff and Bangor University, (including FTWW Volunteer Endometriosis Champion, Rachel!) want to find out what works (or doesn’t!) in using tracking apps/diaries, specifically the Endometriosis Cymru Symptom Reporting Tool.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of FTWW’s key campaigns and, as you’ll know from previous newsletters and updates, we are delighted to work closely with Verity, the PCOS Charity. On behalf of FTWW, Volunteer Zoe recently attended the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on PCOS’s launch of their report at the Houses of Parliament.
As part of BBC Radio Wales’ coverage of the petition to UK Parliament calling for statutory menstrual leave for people with endometriosis and adenomyosis, FTWW Engagement Coordinator, Dee, spoke to BBC Radio Wales about the importance of ensuring that disabled and chronically ill women and people registered female at birth – and their employers – are aware of existing legislation that can protect their employment rights and help them thrive in the workplace.
Following the very exciting initial findings from the Decode ME study, which found that people with a Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) diagnosis have significant genetic differences in their DNA compared to the general population, we were delighted to hear BBC Radio Wales cover the study – and people’s lived experiences – in detail during an episode of The Phone in with Oliver Hides.
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